


Joker on the Wing

by missmichellebelle



Series: Alternate Meetings [3]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Meeting, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Comic Con, Cosplay, Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-14
Updated: 2013-07-14
Packaged: 2017-12-20 03:36:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/882477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missmichellebelle/pseuds/missmichellebelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In fact, the only reason Kurt's even subjecting himself to all of this is because it was a part of the deal. The deal which included a basically free trip to California, and who was Kurt to say no to that?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Joker on the Wing

**Author's Note:**

> **Anonymous asked:** meeting prompt- comic con! xD

The convention center is unbearably noisy, and crammed full of so many people that Kurt honestly can't bring himself to believe that there aren't some serious safety code violations going on. It's not that Kurt minds crowded places—he's from New York, and he's fought his way through a considerable number of sample sales and Black Fridays—he just isn't particularly fond of _this_ kind of crowd. In fact, the only reason Kurt's even subjecting himself to all of this is because it was a part of the deal. The deal which included a basically free trip to California, and who was Kurt to say no to _that?_

In return, he just has to… Be at this thing, which is apparently a big deal. Kurt appeases himself with the fact that there are costumes, and that's something he's at least familiar with. That, and appreciating other people in costumes. Even if a lot of them are poorly made, some of them are—well, they have him short of words, and that's saying something. Even if he doesn't understand close to half of the references.

"We're lost, aren't we?" Kurt finally asks, when he's noticed they've walked down past the same exhibits three times in a row. It's an absolute _mad house_ , and he knows this is the first time Finn has been here. None of them have any idea what they're doing, and if Kurt wasn't so afraid of touching anyone, or interacting with them, he might even ask for help.

"Uh…" Finn looks around, frowning. Even as tall as he is, he can't seem to make heads or tails of anything. Kurt can understand. He feels like he's on an alien planet.

"You know, for _Batman_ , you're kind of incompetent."

" _Dude_." Finn looks at him and frowns. Then he leans closer, dropping his voice. "I'm not, like, actually Batman."

If Kurt's face wasn't carefully covered in make-up, he'd be gripping the bridge of his nose. As it is, he's not ruining his costume just because Finn has them walking in circles trying to find some… Panel. Thing. All Kurt knows is that it involves zombies, and he _really_ doesn't want to go.

"Really, Finn? _Really?_ " Kurt rolls his eyes, looking away and around just in time to catch a girl standing off to the side taking a picture of him with her phone. His mouth parts in surprise, but he feels immensely pleased. It's not the first time he's noticed someone taking a picture of him, but his costume _is_ impeccable, so he can't exactly blame them.

The girl seems to realize she's been caught, eyes widening, but Kurt just tips his head and grins as maniacally as he can muster. It's actually a very good acting exercise, or so Rachel had continuously told him in her attempts to bribe him into coming along. The girl smiles back at him, snaps another picture (or several, which Kurt is _totally_ okay with), and then melts back into the crowd.

"So did you—" he turns back around, and stops abruptly when he realizes he's… Talking to a strange guy. Dressed as… Something. Kurt looks around, eyes widening, but he doesn't see a Batman or Batgirl anywhere in sight. " _Shit_ ," he hisses, looking around more frantically. Finn, as little as he knew about what he was doing, still had at least an inkling of where they were and where they were going. Kurt doesn't have any of that.

He is _stranded_ in the capitol of _nerdtopia_.

The more time he spends spinning in circles in the middle of the walkway, the more people passing seem to be manhandling him along. None of them are really paying him any attention, and Kurt feels like he's caught in some kind of current, unable to say anything to anyone to make them stop an _oh god did someone just grab my ass?_ Wait, what was he standing next to before? He needs to get back there, or how will Finn and Rachel ever find him?

Didn't Finn mention a meeting place? Something about a giant replica of… Something? _Fuck_ , this was a _horrible_ idea and how did Kurt ever get talked into this?

Oh, great, now he's starting to panic.

Kurt pulls out his phone, and it's that, combined with the push and shove around him, that makes him stumble right out of the flow and into someone's back.

"Sorry," he's quick to say, voice clipped and a little high strung. He doesn't want to talk to any of these people, he just wants to get out of here. "Wasn't looking where I was going, I'll—" Wow, this guy is _painted_ in spandex.

"It's alri—wow." The guy has turned around now, and is blinking at Kurt through the black mask covering his eyes. _Superhero of some sort, then_ , Kurt thinks, but it's not anyone he recognizes. "That costume is amazing."

Kurt stares at him in surprise, then glances down at himself quickly (as if he doesn't know what he's wearing, _of course_ he knows what he's wearing), before looking up at the masked stranger again.

"Oh, um, thanks."

"Classic Joker. Well, maybe not classic, but usually people go with the Christopher Nolan version, so it's nice to see—"

And this is why Kurt hadn't wanted to talk to any of them. Okay, yes, it's because he's not into any of this sort of stuff, but he's also afraid of one of them figuring it out. Like he's some sort of _fraud_ by being here, dressed the way he is. So Finn had told him they were doing a Batman thing, and Kurt had fiercely refused to dress as the Gay Boy Wonder (or, Robin, whatever), so he'd just sort of googled Batman and started chasing aesthetically pleasing costumes that would be possible to put together with things already in his wardrobe.

Dressing as the Joker had just been an excuse to buy purple, pinstripe pants.

The guy is still talking—he has a nice voice, and nice lips. His hair is dark, and _way_ over styled, but Kurt has no idea if it's part of his costume or not. A costume which hugs every muscle of his body and, as good as Kurt _knows_ he looks, he'd never have the confidence to wear something quite so revealing.

The worst part is, he has no idea how to politely back out of the conversation, and he finds himself subconsciously wishing that someone will appear and give either of them an excuse to break free.

Not that Kurt has anywhere to go. He looks at his phone, and frowns, and that's when the guy's words finally stumble and stutter to a stop.

"Wow, I—sorry."

Kurt looks up at him, and there's a faint bit of color to his cheeks. He's ducking his head, and Kurt finds it… Well, endearing. But he's not going to fool himself into thinking any of the people around him are gay, even the ones dressed into skintight clothing. Then again, even if they were, would Kurt really want to flirt with one of them?

"Sometimes I get a little over-excited."

"You don't say." The corner of Kurt's mouth picks up in a bit of a mocking smile.

"But, just—it looks great. Your costume. One of my favorite things is seeing how people interpret overdone costumes and make them their own. And you definitely did that."

His smile is cute, and definitely swoon worthy, and he has Kurt ducking his own head to hide his overly pleased smile.

"I mean, definitely more creative than mine. I tend to go by the book as far as costumes go." The guy shrugs, like he's a little self conscious about it.

"It's, um… A very _nice_ costume." Kurt's eyes flick over him—it's hard _not_ to look, especially when he has an excuse to. "So you're…?"

The guy's face immediately falls, and he glances down at himself, worrying a plump lower lip between his teeth.

"Is it… You can't tell?" The guy sounds a little desperate, and this is the part where Kurt should fake a phone call and leave or… Or something.

Or he could just tell the truth, which is that he knows nothing about superheroes, or comics, or anything, and is much more fitted for New York Fashion Week than San Diego Comic Con.

"Hey, woah, no, I—" Kurt steps a little closer, looking around. Like the moment he says it, everyone will fall eerily quiet and start to swarm him. He drops his voice, and says, "I don't know anything about comic books." A pause. "Or superheroes."

Kurt feels like maybe he should close his eyes, like he's _bracing_ for something. But no mob suddenly turns up, screaming at him and picking him up and flinging him out the doors.

"So that's why I didn't recognize you, not—I'm sure your costume is really amazing." Kurt feels incredibly awkward all of a sudden, and he shifts his weight from foot to foot. "Look, I… I got separated from my friends, so I'm just gonna…" He holds up his phone, as if that's enough to finish the conversation, and has almost turned around when there's a black gloved hand folding over his bare forearm.

"That won't work, you know." The guy says. "With so many people, cell phones are pretty much useless. I'm… Guessing this is your first time?"

Kurt hates the way his cheeks heat up.

"I thought my confession would have pointed to that enough, yeah."

"Comic con isn't just about comics, you know." The stranger furrows his eyebrows. "There's tons of other stuff to see, or be interested in."

"…but it's called comic con," Kurt says slowly, like maybe the guy somehow missed that. Of course something called comic con would be centered around comics—Kurt isn't stupid. But the guy just grins at him.

"You said you lost your friends, right?" He asks, instead of addressing Kurt's comment—Kurt nods. "Do you know where they went?"

"Um… Something that had to do with zombies?" Kurt presses his lips together, like he's waiting for this guy to laugh in his face for knowing absolutely nothing about what he's doing or where he is. But he doesn't. He nods.

"I'm pretty sure you mean The Walking Dead panel, which is today. Not sure though. I hadn't planned on going to that one. Do you… Like zombies?"

"No," Kurt answers, immediately, and the guy laughs. It's… It's a nice laugh.

"Cool. I don't either, not really. But we can figure out where it is and I can… Show you how to get there?" The guy sounds hesitant, and Kurt is honestly stunned. He knows that this whole thing is a _big deal_ to people who actually care (aka people other than him), and he's surprised that someone he doesn't even know is taking any of the precious time and lending it to Kurt.

"I—that's really nice of you."

"Of course." He drops into a half bow, and Kurt kind of wishes the guy was wearing a cape, just for the effect it would give. Then again, not all superheroes have capes, and Kurt can respect him wanting to stay authentic to… Well, to whatever it is that he is. "Just a sec?"

The guy turns around, and Kurt does _not_ check out his ass (okay, so he does, _a little_ ) while he talks to a guy standing with a group of people just behind them. Kurt hadn't even seen them before, but now he does—all dressed up to the nines in costumes, the one that his stranger-in-spandex dressed up as… As… Something from Star Wars? Kurt only knows that much because there's a lightsaber hanging from his hip.

Star Wars guy looks at him, eyebrows raised and grinning, and then shoves Spandex Guy closer to Kurt.

"Okay, let's go." The guy grins, and then it falters. "Um, we could get easily separated, so… Sorry if this is weird, but—" He offers his arm, and then looks at Kurt like he has ever expectation that Kurt will refuse it.

It's a good thing that Kurt has years of practice doing exactly what people don't expect. He slips his arm through it, and grins at the guy.

"A super villain and a superhero walking arm-and-arm together. What will people think?" Kurt jokes, as they enter back into the stream of people.

"We'll be the talk of the con," the guy jokes, and Kurt realizes that he's walking off to god-knows-where with a guy and doesn't even know his name.

"You know, I have no idea who you are."

The guy glances at him and smiles again.

"I'm Nightwing."

Kurt rolls his eyes.

"Is that your _actual_ name?" They're smushed together as people crowd in on both sides of them, and it's terribly intimate for just a second.

"No," Nightwing replies, jovially. "But I can't exactly reveal my secret identity to the Joker. You'd probably slaughter my family."

"Right, that sounds just like me," Kurt says, dryly. "I forgot I was a psychopathic, deranged killer who is strangely obsessed with clowns. Or make-up. Or drag. Maybe even all three."

Nightwing laughs, but the noise is basically swallowed up in the crowd.

"You don't know very much about the Joker, do you? Or the Batman universe, for that matter?" Nightwing gives him an amused glance.

Masks are really pretty pointless, or so Kurt thinks. He can see this guy's eyes through them pretty clearly, although it does obstruct the view of his face. Kurt wonders what it looks like without the mask.

"I told you, I don't know anything." The words are a bit more petulant than they should be, and Nightwing must catch on, because he falls quiet for a few moments.

"Hey, how about we get something to eat, and I can tell you a bit more about the con? Or… Or not, you know, if you don't want."

Kurt looks at Nightwing suspiciously for a few moments, and wishes he had some other name for him that didn't sound absolutely ridiculous.

"Did Nightwing just ask the Joker out to lunch?" He teases, because it's easier than thinking, _did this stranger just ask me out?_

"Well, we have to give Gotham something to gossip about, you know."

Kurt really doesn't, but he laughs (and agrees) anyway.


End file.
